PPS Senior Fellow Jay Walljasper, author of The Great Neighborhood Book, is the editor of a new release titled All That We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons. In his new book, Jay discusses the commons — the things in life that belong to everyone, from water and wilderness to the internet and public [...]Read Article

This past November, the city of Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec invited PPS President and founder Fred Kent and Senior Director of Downtowns and Main Streets Norman Mintz to spend two days observing and guiding elected officials and community leaders through a Placemaking workshop. Tanya Abramovitch, the Côte Saint-Luc City Manager and Library Director, recently wrote to [...]Read Article

Although winter is in full effect and temperatures are dropping, that’s no excuse to stay inside until spring arrives. Holiday markets are an ideal way to bring people together despite the cold. With Christmas and New Year’s right around the corner, PPS would like to highlight some of the markets that have captivated us during [...]Read Article

These street decorations make a winter stroll around Paris a delight, and they won’t break the bank. What can you do to make your city sparkle this holiday season? There are also a number of other simple approaches you can take to making your city or neighborhood a vibrant place during the winter, such as [...]Read Article

"'Placemaking' is both an overarching idea and a hands-on tool for improving a neighborhood, city or region. It has the potential to be one of the most transformative ideas of this century..."Read Article

Considering the programming of the 2010 World Design Capital (WDC) Conference and the work of the Hope Institute, one trend is clear: South Koreans are thinking more and more about place rather than design. During a recent visit to the South Korean capital, PPS Founder and President Fred Kent addressed attendees of the WDC conference [...]Read Article

PPS is excited to announce a new collaboration with the Planning Commissioner’s Journal (PCJ), the nation’s principal publication designed for citizen planners. Through this collaboration, PPS will bring its international experience and Placemaking stories to the more than 6,800 PCJ subscribers across the US and Canada. This partnership is an important step toward increasing Placemaking [...]Read Article

Another Placemaking campaign is underway, this time in Annapolis, MD, where the grassroots group Annapolis Sustainable Business Alliance (ASBA) is advocating for the city to rethink the future of its downtown City Dock and historic Market House. Using Placemaking principles, Annapolis’ waterfront could be restored into a lively, vibrant, and sustainable public space; and local [...]Read Article

Placemaking is alive and well in San Antonio, Texas, where the city is building on their renowned River Walk to create new multi-use destinations for tourists and locals alike, including the newly re-opened Main Plaza. Phil Myrick reports on his recent trip to kick off work in San Antonio’s historic St. Paul Square District with [...]Read Article

The Columbia River Crossing (CRC), one of the largest public works projects in the history of the Portland/Vancouver region, is turning to local citizens and stakeholders to generate alternatives to the current version of the $3.6 Billion project proposal to reduce congestion and enhance safety, livability, and mobility. PPS Senior Transportation Initiatives Director Gary Toth [...]Read Article